Riobamba extinguishes the environmental license of the Quinta León 3 artisanal mine

The Autonomous Decentralized Municipal Government of the Riobamba canton, through its General Directorate of Environmental Management, resolved to extinguish the Category II Environmental License registered under No. 00163-06-2015-FA-DPACH MAE, granted in favor of the Quinta León 3 Artisanal Mine (Code 290732). The decision is contained in Resolution No. GADMR-DG-AMB-2026-0015-R, signed in Riobamba on August 20, 2026, and published in the Special Edition No. 1634 of the Official Registry of Ecuador, dated September 11, 2026, page 62.

The measure is framed within the environmental competencies that the law confers upon autonomous decentralized municipal governments regarding activities carried out within their jurisdiction. The extinguished license corresponds to Project Code MAE-RA-2014-112912, a category II environmental control instrument that enabled the operation of the artisanal mine in the canton.

Scope of the resolution

The resolution nullifies the environmental license that supported the extractive activity of the Quinta León 3 Artisanal Mine, identified with code 290732. Upon the extinction of the control instrument, the mining operation loses the environmental authorization that backed it, which directly affects its continuity and necessitates a review of the conditions under which the activity was developed.

The elements identified in the administrative act are:

• Resolution: No. GADMR-DG-AMB-2026-0015-R.
• Extinguished license: Category II, No. 00163-06-2015-FA-DPACH MAE.
• Project code: MAE-RA-2014-112912.
• Beneficiary: Quinta León 3 Artisanal Mine, Code 290732.
• Issuing body: General Directorate of Environmental Management of the Municipal GAD of Riobamba.
• Date of signing: August 20, 2026.

Regulatory framework and environmental control

The extinction of the license is part of the environmental management regime that regulates artisanal mining activity in Ecuador, under which local authorities exercise control and monitoring of projects operating in their territory. The Category II Environmental License constitutes the instrument that certifies compliance with environmental requirements for the development of the activity, and its extinction implies the cessation of the corresponding authorization.

The decision of the GAD of Riobamba adds to other environmental control actions regarding mining activity in the canton and reinforces the municipal authority to verify that extractive operations comply with current regulations and the conditions under which they were authorized.

Impact for the community

The extinction of the license for the Quinta León 3 Artisanal Mine has direct implications for both the operation and the local community linked to the activity. As the environmental instrument is rendered null and void, the mine will not be able to continue operating under the protection of the extinguished license and must adjust to the conditions determined by the competent authority.

The publication in the Official Registry provides publicity and enforceability to the measure, allowing citizens and involved stakeholders to know the status of the mine’s environmental authorization. The resolution thus constitutes a precedent for the exercise of municipal environmental control over artisanal mining in Riobamba, within a context of increasing attention to the impacts of extractive activity on the territory and its inhabitants.

Source: Official Registry of Ecuador, Special Edition No. 1634, September 11, 2026, p. 62 (official reference: Resolution No. GADMR-DG-AMB-2026-0015-R).